Mormon teens share faith through Skype

Girls at a summer camp sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Rock Springs 4-H Camp near Junction City use Skype to interact with other LDS girls in Taiwan.

From left, Lindsay Haddock, Traci Christensen and Jackie Cuevas-Reyes used Skype to talk with girls in Taiwan during a recent camp sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Shown on the laptop is Amy Murphy, formerly of Topeka and now living in Taiwan.

People continue to find new ways to use technology to bridge gaps and bring people together, including in the wide world of religion.

With some help from their leaders, girls from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints found out they could reach out and practically touch other girls of their same age half a world away during a camp in July at Rock Springs 4-H Camp near Junction City.

Thanks to some groundwork being laid by Amy Murphy, an LDS Church member formerly from Topeka, girls at the summer camp in Kansas were able to speak directly to other girls from their faith in Taiwan through the Skype program on the Internet.

The Kansas campers were thrilled when live video of girls in Taiwan was streamed on a large screen at the Rock Springs camp conference center. Thanks to Skype, the girls in Taiwan were able to see the girls in Kansas at the same time.

“We had a fantastic leader who actually lives in Taiwan,” said Lindsay Haddock, 13, a member of the Sherwood Ward of the Topeka LDS church, referring to Murphy. “She hooked us up with some girls there so we could get to talk with them.”

Though the girls spoke different languages and were 13 hours apart, they still managed to communicate with each other. Murphy provided translation for the Taiwanese girls.

Murphy said she got the Skype event off the ground after she was asked about some ideas for a service project for the camp that would link the American and Taiwanese girls.

Traci Christensen, a member of the Kaw Valley Ward of the LDS Church in Topeka and an adult leader at the girls camp, said the girls in Taiwan gathered in a church building in their city for the Skype session.

“It was really cool,” Christensen said. “Some of the girls at our camp bore testimony of their beliefs, and some of the girls in Taiwan did, too.”

Girls at the Kansas camp sang some spiritual songs, such as “Come Unto Christ,” for their counterparts in Taiwan, and the Taiwanese girls did likewise, Christensen said.

When all was said and done, Christensen said, the girls in both Kansas and Taiwan were “really happy” that they could speak with others of the LDS faith in a different part of the world.

Christensen said the Skype experience between girls of different countries and cultures showed them that they aren’t alone in striving to live upright and Christ-centered lives.

“We live at a time when high moral standards are not ‘in,’” Christensen said. “The standards are really going downhill quickly. To see other girls with the same values is very comforting, and it gives you a lot of strength.”

Jackie Cuevas-Reyes, 16, a member of the Topeka Spanish Branch of the LDS Church, said the chance to talk with girls in Taiwan via Skype showed her that the LDS Church “is actually worldwide and there are people in different countries” who are actively practicing the faith.

At first, the suggestion was for the girls to exchange letters. But then, Murphy said she got the idea for the girls to Skype with each other and communicate their faith with each other, in spite of language and cultural differences.

“I have always been inspired by hearing the testimonies of members from around the world and the unity and closeness that we share just because of our faith,” Murphy said. “I felt that it could be a great experience for the young women in both countries.”